The title says it all. Life IS to short to be living your life according to what other people think. Try looking inside yourself and figure out what it is YOU love doing and what your life would be like if you ‘followed your bliss’. Okay, some of you may have children and I can’t exactly relate to that being child free so I don’t know if my message will be realistic for anyone raising a family currently. But that being said it doesn’t mean you are never allowed to do what you love. Maybe if you’re not able to ‘follow your bliss’ right now you can follow it when you’ve got a bit more freedom.

At any rate I want to concentrate on my original intent of this post, which was to advocate for those of us awakening to our true selves knowing we CAN do more! We aren’t prisoners in our life unless we allow ourselves to be. Don’t let the negative people in your life deter you from living the life you really want to. If things aren’t perfect right now then just keep your dream and make sure you do what you can to realize its potential. I want to go back to university and study library and information studies but don’t have the money right now. But I’m not letting that stop me! I have not given up because I know with determination and the right attitude I will make it back to school and be a librarian (or information broker if all else fails! LOL kidding, that would just be a temporary thing if I needed the money).

Who are you *really*?

Alright, so being a writer would be my DREAM job but I can’t exist with the anxiety of not having a reasonable prospect of employment. Writing is not viable unless you’re a famous novelist or work for a reputable newspaper or magazine; otherwise you’re left freelancing and unable to do anything else but write 24/7 to keep the money coming in-and I don’t want to spend my time like that. So librarian it is! (or researcher, information broker etc. if necessary). I never said I wasn’t realistic at all! Following your bliss isn’t all that blissful if you end up in poverty. But I’m confident I can live my dreams and still live well; because at the end of the day that’s what we’re all looking for, to live our lives as well as we possibly can.

So what’s your dream job? Or reason for not living the life you wish you could be? Is your true self how you are now, or is it buried and waiting to be uncovered?

No matter how difficult things are right now;
Please – Hold on to Hope, and don’t give up.
You are Stronger than you think … Just Believe!

Try and find Gratitude and Bliss in the Little Things around you.

The Rays of Sunshine on the window pane.
The scent of Flowers you never usually notice.
The Melody of a sweet Song …
The scent of Coffee … the laughter of a child.
Family and true friends.
Hugs and kisses.
The sweet moments of togetherness with people who really care.In quiet moments of Solitude when you can take a deep breath.
Relax, and let the inner Peace with in you embrace you.
Happiness is Always, “Inside Out”‘

There, now didn’t my title get your attention? LOL But I do know the secret to happiness it’s just extremely

Image via CrunchBase

challenging to practice 24/7. In order to be happy you have to want what you already have and have what you want (which is easy because step 1 is to want what you have!). Silliness aside, wanting what we have can be a true challenge in our materialistic, consumer driven culture (here in the Western world). There’s always something shiny and new to distract us and make us want the next big thing (i.e. the latest iPhone, mobile device, car, etc).

How do we convince ourselves that we already have everything we want, while salivating at the latest gadget? I don’t know about you but it can be pretty tough to feel happy when we can’t have something. Is it down to arguing with ourselves about remembering all the starving children or homeless people so we feel guilty and/or ashamed of our desires? This is a philosophical question I’m posing to you. I don’t have the answer. My hunch is that it gets easier to want what you have with practice over time.

Over time, since beginning to meditate, I have noticed an unintentional positive result, I don’t feel the same level of hedonism as I used to. I no longer go into stores wanting everything I see (yes, this used to be the case for me) and actually end up-9 times out of 10-not buying anything! It helps that I usually have no money for the purpose but even when I do have some I don’t want/buy stuff I see like I used to. I can walk past nice things when I can afford them and not want them! Okay, there’s occasions where I really want something but it doesn’t stay in my head for long. This is evidence in my mind that meditating can encourage happiness indirectly. Less hedonism equals greater satisfaction with what you/I already have!

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Have you ever tried to be happy with what you already have? I know my secret is NOT actually a secret because it has been said by people with real fame. So I am guessing at least some of you will be familiar already with ‘my’ proposed secret to happiness. Do you find it a challenge like I do, or are you able to not want anything ever? Let me know 🙂